Refrigerator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C. M. BIDDLE.

REFRIGERATOR. No. 847,560. APatent-ed Aug. 17, 1886,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. M. BIDDLE.

- REPRIGBRATOR. No. 347,56.

Patented Aug. 17, 1886 671, asses.-`

UNITED STATES- PATENT @Finca CLEMENT M. BIDLLE, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,560, dated August17, 1886. Application filed January 26, 1886. Serial No. 189,843. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, CLEMENT M. BIDDLE, a citizen of the`United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements inRefrigerators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my improvement is to provide a cold surface for condensingthe moisture in the air of a refrigerator to maintain a dry, pure, coldpreserving atmosphere. For this purpose provision is made for retainingand utilizing the cold drip within a water-back,

which constitutes the wall or walls of a coldair tlue communicating withthe ice-box and with an air-tight preserving-chamber. The water-back inthe cold-air iiue may be supplemented by sheet metal troughs or shedsarranged upon its wall or walls, placed in alternate inclined positions,one above the other, for the collection and carrying olf the water ofcondensation, and to increase the area ofthe condensing-surface.Provision is made for' carrying off the cold drip from the water-backeither by an overflow within the latter or by the exterior walltroughs,in either case the drip filling the water-back for chilling its surfaceand its supplemented sheet-metal troughs or sheds, and the inflow andthe overiiow taking place at the top of the water-back.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the application of my improvementto a refrigerator in which the confined cold air is maintained incirculation within the preservingchamber without change.

Figure 1 represents the refrigerator in ver- Atical section; Fig. 2, asimilar view of a refrigerator having two preserving-chambers. Fig. 3shows in side elevation the water-back havingits flue-wall supplementedby moisturecondensing troughs, and Fig. 4 a similar view showingmoisture-condensing sheds. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken throughthe waterback, showing its interior overflow; and Fig. 6 is a similarview showingV the exterior overflow ofthe water-back.

Any suitable construction of the refrigerator structure having an air-tight .preservingchamber may be used with my improvement. Doors foraccess to the preserving*chamber a and to the ice-box bare provided. AAtthe top of the food-containing chamber is placed the ice-box, which, asshown, may be in central relation to such chamber' or at the sidethereof. In either case the preserving-chamber communicates by apassage, K, with the top of the ice-box, and by a passage, J, at thebottom of a diving-flue, C, which opensinto the ice-box, so that thevertical side or sides of said iiue will join the inclined bottom of theice-box. At the top of lthe air-circulating conduit a space, C2, is leftbelow the ice-rack, to allow free circulation of air throughtheiee-boxand conduit into and through thepreserving-chamber, upon theprinciple of the greaterspecitic gravity of the air within thepreserving-chamber, into which said conduit opens at the floor, theair-circuit being completed by the top passage of the ice-box.

One or both of the walls of the air-dividing conduitis formed byawater-back, A, of metal plates, the water-containing chamber whereof isopen at the top at c, so that the dri pfrom the ice-box will run downinto the water-back, and from thence pass off by overfiow. Thewater-back extends from wall to wall in the chamber, and forms a trough,d, at the ice-box bottom, to collect the drip at the water-back inlet.The overliow from the water-back may be from' its interior at the top ate, Fig. 5, by the pipef, extending down and opening at the bottom of thewater-back, so that the latter will be kept full of the cold drip andits air-` conduit forming walls chilled thereby to form amoisture-condensing surface t'orthe water in the air. For this purposethe water-back is combined with a drip-pan, g, at the door, to receivethe waterof condensation which gathers upon the cold metal surface ofthe water-back in the due and runs down its walls, from which it dropsinto the drip-pan. For increasing the area of the condensing-surface ofthe airdriving conduitl provide the water-back within the conduit withsheet-metal troughs or sheds lz, which collect and. carry off themoisture in the air, in addition to that collected and carried off bythe cold walls of the water-back. The overflow from the water-back,however, may be by the backing up of the water out of its topinletopening, so that the cold drip, after filling the water-back, willoverflow at its top opening, c, and run down into the wall- IOOtroughs,passing from one to the other into the drip-pan, as in Fig 6,the overflow-pipefnot being used. When the wall-troughs are not used,theoverflow is by the interior pipe, f, as stated, and instead of thetroughs I may use metal plates upon the water-back, placed so as to shedthe water of condensation and deliver it into the drip-pan. For thispurpose the plates will be arranged like the troughs, inclined inopposite directions, and inclined downward from the water-back wall, soas to shed the moisture from the latter, and thus collect and deliverthe moisture from one to the other next below. The water-back has a tapor plug, i, at the bottom, by which to clean it of dirt collections fromthe drip by drawing oi the water. The drippan is provided with adrain-pipe having a water seal, to prevent the escape of cold air. Thecollection of the cold drip and its overflow from a metal waterbackwhich forms the wall of a diving air-conduit insures a uniform coldcondensing-sur face in the conduit, so that the circuit of air will passout of the conduit, Vleaving upon its walls the moisture which itreceives from the ice and the impurities and bad gases which it receivesfrom the food. I prefer to make the walls of the water-tank of two ormore plates for greater thickness, and thereby retain the cold to itsfullest degree. VVheu the overflow is from the interior of thewater-back, I prefer to have the overow-pipe terminate in the water sealof the drip-pan.

I claiml. The combination, in a refrigerator, of an ice-box, b, anair-circulating conduit, C, depending therefrom, open at the top and atthe bottom, and an air-tight preserving-chamber, a, communicating withthe bottom of said airconduit beneath the ice-box, and with the top ofsaid conduit above theiee-box, with a metal water-back, A, forming oneor both the walls of said circulating-air conduit, opening into theice-box at the top of said aireonduit, and having an overflow,substantially as described.

2. The combination, with an icebox and an air-tight preserving-chamber,of one or more metal overow water-backs supplied by the cold drip,forming a vertical air-circulating conduit having wallmoisture-condensing metal conductors, for the purpose specified. I

3. The combination, in a refrigerator, of an icefbox, b, anair-circulating conduit, C, depending therefrom, open at the top and atthe bottom, and an air-tight preservingehamber, a, communicating withthe bottom of said aireonduit beneath the icebox, and with the top ofsaid air-conduit above the ice-box, with a metal water-back, A, formingone of the walls of said air conduit, open at its top, and anoverflow-pipe contained within said waterback, substantially asdescribed, for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the ice-box arranged to form au air-circulatingiiue, C, with metal troughs arranged on one side of the wall of saiddue, a water-back arranged ou the other side of said wall, and anoverflow arranged within said water-back, all as shown and described.

In testimony1 whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CARROLL It. WILLIAMS, A. Mo'roN Coornu.

